C's rookie Brown making the most of his minutes

Monday

The best NBA rookies usually play for the worst teams. That’s the way the NBA Draft is supposed to work in order to help the weaker teams catch up to the stronger ones.

BOSTON — The best NBA rookies usually play for the worst teams. That’s the way the NBA Draft is supposed to work in order to help the weaker teams catch up to the stronger ones.

Rookie forward Jaylen Brown, however, plays for the Celtics, one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, thanks to the No. 3 pick last year that the team acquired from Brooklyn.

The Lakers have no hope of reaching the postseason so they’re willing to put up with the mistakes and 35.8 percent shooting of Brandon Ingram, the No. 2 overall pick. The Celtics, on the other hand, are battling for one of the top three seeds in the Eastern Conference, so Brown must develop while playing only about half as much as Ingram.

So do you learn more by playing a lot for a bad team or less for a good one?

“That’s tough to say,” Brown said. “That’s a subjective question. I’m not saying everybody is the same, but for me it’s been great to be able to play less and just learn, and just learn and grow from all the vets and stuff that’s been around. It’s a great organization and I’m lucky to be here.”

“Everybody always thinks development is directly tied to minutes,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said, “because that’s what you can see, and I just don’t think that way. I think that you can develop yourself in a ton of ways and if you’re just playing minutes, but not putting in the work on the off days and not doing all the little things to make yourself better then ultimately you’re not progressing at the right rate.”

With Avery Bradley (Achilles) out, the 6-foot-7 Brown started for the third consecutive game on Monday against Detroit at TD Garden after starting only four times previously. On Friday, he had a career-high 20 points and eight rebounds in a win over Orlando. On Saturday in an OT victory at Milwaukee, he had nine points and a team-high eight rebounds. He also came up with a steal and key 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.

For the season, Brown is averaging 5.3 points and 2.3 rebounds, not bad considering he averages only 14.2 minutes, just 11th among NBA rookies. Toronto forward Paschal Siakam (17.1 minutes) is the only rookie who plays more for a team that would qualify for the playoffs if they began today.

Brown’s 43.2 field-goal percentage ranks second to Siakam’s 50.3 percent among rookies who have played at least 500 minutes for current playoff teams. At 20, Brown is two years younger than Siakam.

“I don’t compare myself to anybody,” Brown said. “I know it’s hard not to sometimes because you see other guys in good situations, but I really don’t compare myself to anybody. I just try to do what’s best for me every day. That’s the only thing I have energy for.”

Ingram, Bucks shooting guard Malcolm Brogdon, and Suns power forward Marquese Chriss, all playing for bad teams, were the only rookies invited to play for the U.S. team in the Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star weekend. Brown kept his snub in perspective, calling it “not the end of the world.” He had already turned down the chance to take part in the slam dunk contest.

“The good news about Jaylen,” Stevens said, “is whether he plays a lot and starts or doesn’t play a lot and comes off the bench he’s still working and you feel good about his progress and I think you can see that in the last couple of games.”